Deputy Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas Fahri Hamzah Emphasises Importance of Public Space in Slum Areas

Deputy Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP) Fahri Hamzah stressed the importance of providing public spaces in dense residential areas as a key strategy for addressing slums in Indonesia. He made the remarks during a visit to Kampung Lampion along the Code Riverbank in Yogyakarta on Friday (29 May).

Fahri emphasised that riverbank areas must be developed to be picturesque, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerakan Indonesia Asri directive. He stated that the lack of well-planned public spaces is a primary cause of poor slum conditions.

“Slums are unsightly because their public spaces are poorly managed. Moving forward, slum areas must successfully create public spaces,” Fahri Hamzah said, according to Antara.

Alongside open space planning, the Deputy Minister proposed modern stilt-house concepts as a solution for future urban housing. This vertical stilt-house design is seen as effective in addressing land scarcity while supporting riverbank development without harming the ecosystem.

“We urgently need public spaces for public mental health. The stilt-house concept is essentially vertical housing. Cities must go vertical in the future due to shrinking land availability,” he explained.

During the visit, Fahri praised the Yogyakarta City Government for successfully managing the Code River area and controlling garbage and slum issues. He described the land consolidation efforts around Kali Code as pioneering and worthy of replication by other regions.

“I was invited by the Mayor to see several sites which I believe showcase Yogyakarta’s pioneering efforts in land consolidation along the river. This model must be widely copied,” he added.

Fahri reminded that future riverbank management must adopt adaptive concepts to environmental dynamics, including flood risks and changing river conditions to ensure residents’ safety and comfort. (Ant/Z-10)